Roofing element



May 13, 1941- L. KlRscHBRAUN 2,241,603v

ROOFING ELEMENT Original Filed Feb. l0, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 smal ATTORNEY May 13, 1941. KlRscHBRAuN RooFING ELEMENT Y original Filed Feb. 10, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR mlm M Y E .N A.. R m r MMM NBE Z.

Patented May 13, 1941 no oFING ELEMENT Lester Kirschbraun, New York, N. Y., assignorto The Patent and Licensing Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 10, 1937, Serial No. 125,017 lRenewed December 16, 1939 ('Cl. 10S-8) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to mastic shingles' of the type in which the major portion of the shingles is composed of a plastic composition that is capable of setting to'a more or less hardened condition. Essentially this composition is composed of a bituminous material such as asphalt or like waterproofing substance, combined with fibrous materials and hardening fillers, nely divided solids,

as for example, clay, talc, crushed slate, slate dust, etc., the whole being macerated or kneaded to form a homogeneous plastic mass that can be I suitably shaped to desired form under pressure.

The term shingle is used herein in a broad sense and is intended to include strip shingles and similar roofing or siding elements as well as individual shingles.

Shingles have hitherto been prepared from plastic compositions of the above described types,"

these compositions being particularly advantageous for such use inasmuch as they may be molded into tapering elements with thick butts similar in form to conventional wooden shingles. The plastic compositionsare, however, relatively heavy and costly and the thick tapered shingles constructed therefrom .according to prior practice, are heavier and more expensive than is desired or really necessary.

An object of the present invention is to provide a construction for a mastic shingle employing a plasticcomposition of the type described above as the major constituent, which requires the use of a minimum quantity of the plastic material while retaining the appearance and strength of mastic shingles heretofore provided. A further object of the invention is to provide a mastic shingle which will exhibit thermal insulating qualities to a substantial degree.

The above stated objects are attained, according to the present invention, by providing a plurality of hollow grooves or channels on the under surface of the plastic body portion of the shingle. The body of the shingle may be of uniform or tapering cross-sectional thickness and the grooves may be of uniform or of tapering configuration with their maximum depth at, or adjacent to, the butt end of the shingle from whence they gradually diminish in depth as they approach the upper end of the shingle, and preferably terminate at points spaced from the upper `end of the shingle. The bottoms of the grooves are preferably substantially parallel to the upper surfaces of the shingle. A facing sheet of a suitable material may be secured to one face of the plastic body portion to reinforce the shingle and give it sufcient strength to prevent distortion of the plastic body portion in the handling of the shingle and to resist sloughing and pulling away of the plastic body from the nails when the shingle is applied Y on a roof and subjected. to summer heat. By constructing a mastic shingle with grooves in the undersurface of the plastic body portion thereof the amount of plastic necessary to produce the shingle of any given over-all dimensions is substantially reduced and hence the cost and weight of such shingle is also reduced without, however,

incurring any loss of the strength or weatherresistant characteristics of the shingle.

The invention will be more fully understood from the more detailed description which is to` follow and from the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure l is a perspective View of a shingle depicting one embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on a line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a perspective view depicting another embodiment of my invention; f

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating a third embodiment of my invention;

Figure 6 is a View partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating diagrammatically an apparatus which may be employed to construct the shingles of my invention;

Figure 7 is a detail view, with parts partially broken away, of the forming rolls employed in the apparatus of Figure 6; l

Figure 8 is an end view of the lower roll of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is an end View, with parts partially broken away, of a modied construction o-f the forming rolls;

Figure 10 is a detail view, with parts partially broken away, illustrating another modification of the forming rolls of the apparatus illustrated in Figure; and

Figure 11 is an end view of the lower roll of Figure 10.

Referring to the drawings, 'and more particularly to Figures 1 and 2 thereof, there is shown a shingle embodying one form of the present invention. The shingle comprises a body portion I of a suitable hardened plastic material composed of a bituminous material such as asphalt or the like Waterproofing substance, combined with fibrous material and hardening fillers, such as finely divided solids, as for example, clay, talc, crushed slate, slate dust, etc. A convenient source of raw material that may be employed to form such a composition, resides in scrap roofing that accumulates in the manufacture of felted brous asphaltic prepared roofing. Since the latter is generally composed of asphalt constituting the waterproofing medium, nbrous material constituting the base and mineral matter constituting the surfacing, scrap roong of this nature in many instances is admirably suited for the purposes of this invention, but if desired there may be cornbined therewith further quantities of asphalt and fillers to vary the composition and consistency of the mixtures for the formation of the plastic mass, as required in actual practice.

The plastic body portion I is preferably tapered at least the greater portion of its length and is provided on its undersurface with a plurality of grooves 2. The grooves 2 are of a maximum depth at the butt end 4 of the shingle and gradually diminish in depth as they approach the upper end of the shingle.A 'Ihe grooves may extend the whole length of the shingle but preferably, as shown in Figure 2, have upper terminal points spaced inwardly from the upper end of the shingle. 'Ihe grooves as shown extend for approximately three-fourths of the length of the shingle but it will be obvious that the length of the grooves, as shown in Figure 2, is not critical and that they may be made of greater or lesser length as desired. The grooves 2 may, if desired, be likewise made to diminish in width as they approach their upper terminal points similarly as they diminish in depth or they may be made of uniform width throughout. A sheet 3 of a suitable material, such as an asphalt impregnated felt, is provided on the underside of the body portion I, the sheet bridging the grooves and -being secured to the body portion by the asphaltic constituent of the plastic composition forming the body portion or by other suitable waterproof adhesive. The upper surface of the shingle, or at least that portion of the upper surface which is to be exposed to the weather when the shingle is laid upon a supporting structure, is covered with a coating 6 of a suitable material such as a high melting point asphalt and the coating 6 has a surfacing material 1, comprising comminuted grit, such as crushed slate or the like, partially embedded therein and if desired this coating and surfacing may be made rto extend around the butt and side edges which will be exposed to the weather, in use.

A shingle of the construction described above, will be substantially lighter in weight and lower in cost that one of similar over-all dimensions, constructed according to prior practice, due to the substantial saving in plastic material afforded by the grooves 2.

A modification of rthe shingle illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is disclosed in Figures 3 and 4. According to this embodiment of the invention, the ends of the grooves I2 adjacent the butt end of the mastic body are spaced from said butt end by a wall I4 of the plastic material. By this construction the grooves I2 are completely enclosed within the shingle by the wall I4 and by the layer of felt I3 secured to the underface of the shingle, and thus provide dead air spaces which impart a high degree of thermal-insulaiing value to the shingle. A shingle constructed according to this embodiment of the invention will have the advantages of lightness of construction and saving in mastic to substantially the same degree as will the shingle of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2.

In another embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figure 5, the reinforcement of the plastic body portion to prevent distortion thereof is provided by a sheet of facing material 23 secured to the upper surface of the plastic body 2l. Sheet material comprising saturated felt carrying a coating 24 of asphalt and surfaced with comminuted grit 25 such as crushed slate is preferably employed for the facing sheet 23.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that further modifications of the shingles may be made without departing from the essential characteristics of this invention. Thus the shingle illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 may have the facing sheet I3 omitted and have a reinforcing sheet provided on the upper surface of the plastic body portion I I. The embodiments of the invention disclosed in Figures 1 to 4 may be modified by employing an additional facing sheet on the upper surfaces of the shingles which additional facing sheet may comprise a saturated felt carrying a coating of asphalt or the like and a surfacing of comminuted grit such as crushed slate. In some instances, for example, where an asphalt of sufficiently high melting point is employed to provide a mastic which will not slough or run, no facing sheets need be employed.

In constructing the mastic shingles of the present invention I first form a homogeneous plastic mass of bituminous material such as asphalt of 14o-280 F. melting point, and hardening fillers, the mixture being worked up and brought to the desired consistency in any suitable form of kneading mechanism. As already stated, prepared roofing scrap may be employed for this purpose, combined if desired with further quantities of bituminous material, ber and other fillers, such as slate dust, talc, mica, etc. The plastic material, prepared in this manner, is fed from a suitable storage supply 30 in a continuous ow between opposing surfaces of a pair of` cooperating forming rolls 3| and 32 mounted for rotation at equal peripheral speeds in the direction indicated by the arrows, upon parallel shafts 33 and 34, respectively. The rolls may be driven from any convenient source of power (not shown). As shown in Figures 6 and 7, -'the roll 3| is provided with a substantially smooth uniform surface and the cooperating roll 32 is formed with a plurality of spaced parallel ribs or lands 35 projecting from its surface and extending circumferentially of the roll. Each of the lands 35 has a. circumferential extent substantially greater than one-half the circumference of the roll 32. Each land preferably tapers in thickness circumferentially of the roll, varying in thickness from zero thickness at its terminal points x, :l: to a maximum thickness at a point y substantially midway between its terminal points as illustrated in Figures 6 and 8. Each land 35 may similarly vary in width from zero width at its terminal points to maximum width at the point of maximum thickness thereof or may -be made of uniform width throughout its length.

The roll 32 is eccentrically mounted on its shaft 34. The extent of the eccentricity, in relation to the shingles to be formed by the rolls 3I and 32 is equal to the difference between the thickness of the shingles at their butt ends and the thickness of the shingles at their upper ends. The off-set of the shaft 34 with respect to the central axis of the roll 32 is such that the surfaces of the rolls 32 and 3| will be spaced furthest apart when the point of maximum thickness of the lands 35 is at the bight between the rolls. The plastic material is fed between the cooperating surfaces of the rolls 3| and 32, as previously stated, and due to the eccentric mounting of thev roll 32, is shaped into a sheet varying longitudinally and gradually in thickness between maximum and minimum thicknesses at recurrent intervals. Each revolution of the roll 32 produces a section of the sheet gradually varying in thickness from minimum thickness at its ends to maximum thickness at a line transversely of the sheet mid-Way between the ends of the section, the section having grooves running longitudinally along its undersurface. 'Ihe grooves have a maximum depth at the line of maximum, thickness of the section and gradually diminish in depth in both directions toward the ends of the section. Each section will provide two shingle body portions. The plastic sheet thus formed passes from the rolls 3| and 32 and {between pressing rolls 36 and 31. The rolls 36 and 31 are rotatably mounted on shafts 38 and 39 respectively and are driven from any suitable source of power (not shown) in the directions indicated by the arrows.A The shaft 39 of the upper roll 36 is suitably mounted as shown at 43 to permit it to exert a substantially uniform pressure on the upper surface of the mastic sheet irrespective of the variations in thickness of the sheet. Between the forming rolls 3| and 32 and the pressing rolls 36 and 31 a reel 40 is provided on which is mounted a supply 4| of a suitable facing material such as an asphalt impregnated felt. The felt passes from the supplyl around a roller 42 mounted adjacent the under-surface of the plastic sheet. The roller 42 brings the facing felt into substantial contact with the undersurface of the plastic sheet, the felt and the plastic sheet being pressed together as they pass between the pressing rolls 36 and 31. The pressure between the rolls 36 and 31 is made sufficient to firmly press the felt to the ribs formed on the undersurface of the plastic sheet whereby the felt Will be cemented thereto by the asphaltic constituent of the plastic or by a suitable waterproof adhesive which may be applied to the upper surface of the felt. The plastie sheet with its felt facing layer may then pass to any suitable coating and slating means (not shown) for applying coating and surfacing to the upper surface of the plastic sheet. The sheet may then have its edges trimmed and is then cut transversely at the points of maximum and minimum thickness to separate the sheet into mastic shingles of the type disclosed in Figure l.

'I'he forming rolls may be made of such length as to form a plastic sheet of but a single shingle width, as shown, or they may be made long enough to form a s heet of such width as to permit severing the sheet into units of multi-shingle or strip form.

Where it is desired to extend the coating and surfacing around the butt and side edges ofthe shingle elements, the sheet may be cut into the individual elements prior to the coating and surfacing operations and these latter operations then be performed in such a manner as to coat and surface these edges at the time the coating and surfacing materials are applied to the upper surface of the elements.

According to the above described method the sheet is formed with the channelsor grooves extending lengthwise thereof. The sheet may, however,I be produced with the channels or grooves running widthwise thereof, i. e., with the lengths of the shingles arranged transversely of the sheet. Forming rolls, for the purpose of producing shingles according to this latter method, are illustrated in Figures 10 and l1. The forming rolls 5| and 52 are mounted on parallel axes as before but the roll 52 is preferably made tapering in length (as shown) to produce a taper widthwise of the plastic sheet formed thereby. The roll 52 is provided with lands 55 (see Figures 10 and 1l) projecting from the surface thereof and extending Vfor the greater portion of the length of the roll 52 and tapering in thickness from a maximum thickness at their ends adjacent one end of the roll 52 to zero thickness at their other ends. In the use of this means the plastic composition passes from the supply between the bight of the forming rolls and is pressed into a sheet having one thick edge and one thin edge and a plurality of parallel spaced grooves 'extending from the thick edge toward the thin edge thereof along one surface of the sheet. 'I'he sheet of plastic material thus formed, may have a reinforcing web of fibrous felt adhered thereto and may be coated and slated in a similar manner to that previously described. The sheet is cut into individual elements of any desired width, preferably after the coating and slating operations, by cuts made transversely of the sheet and between adjacent grooves.

In order to form a shingle of the type disclosed in Figures 3 and 4, the forming roll 32 of Figures 6 and '7 is modified by providing an interruption in the continuity of the lands 35 at the portions of greatest thickness thereof as indicated at 56 in Figure 9. By this variation in the construction of the forming roll 32 the mastic material will be forced into the space 56. The sheet of plastic material is cut transversely on lines midway between the sides of the transverse rib of plastic material thus formed, to provide the end wall |4 of the mastic butt portion of the shingle shown in Figure 3.

The method substantially as illustrated in Figure 6 may be utilized to produce the shingles of the form disclosed by Figure 5. In this case the use of the felt from the supply 4| is omitted. A reel 51 (see Figure 6) supporting a supply 58 of a suitable facing material for the upper surface of the shingles, is provided. The facing material is fed between the forming roll 3| and the plastic mass where it is pressed onto the surface of the plastic sheet as it is being formed, so as to adhere thereto by the asphaltic constituent of the plastic material. The pressing rolls may be omitted if desired inasmuch as the pressing action is accomplished bythe rolls 3| and 32.

Having described in rather full detail the nature of my invention, it will be apparent that these details need not be strictly adhered to but various changes and modifications may readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art,

without departing from the principles of the in.

vention, as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A roofing element of the character de scribed comprising a body portion of hardened plastic material composed of bituminous material and hardening llers, the body portion tapering in longitudinal cross-section froma relatively thick butt end, the underside of said body portion being formed with a plurality of grooves extending longitudinally ofthe body portion, and a brous facing sheet adhesively secured to the under-surface of the body portion and bridging the grooves therein.

2. Arroofing element of the character described comprising a body portion of hardened plastic material composed of a bituminous material and hardening fillers, the body portion tapering in cross-section from a relatively thick butt end to a relatively thin upper end, the underside of said body portion being formed With a pluralitygof grooves extending longitudinally of the body portion and diminishing in depth as they approach the upper end of the body portion, and a brous facing sheet adhesively secured to the undersurface of the body portion and bridging the grooves therein.

3. A roong element of the character described comprising a body portion of a hardened plastic material composed of a bituminous material and hardening fillers, the body portion tapering in cross-section from a relatively thick butt end lto a relatively thin upper end, the underside of said body portion being formed with a plurality of grooves extending longitudinally of the body portion from a line spaced from the butt end of the element and diminishing in depthv as they approach the upper end of the body portion, and a fibrous facing sheet adhesively secured to the undersurface of the body portion and bridging the grooves therein.

4. A roof-lng element of the character described comprising a body portion of hardened plastic material comprising bituminous material and hardening fillers, the underside of said body portion having formed therein a plurality of grooves extending longitudinally of the body portion and a brous facing sheet adhesively secured to the undersurface of the body portion and bridging the grooves therein.

LESTER KIRSCHBRAU'N. 

